The Shure AONIC 50 was a great success when it launched in 2020. Now, Shure is back with the significantly upgraded second-generation AONIC 50, including spatial audio, custom 50mm drivers, and hybrid active noise-canceling tech.
Furthermore, the upgraded Shure AONIC 50 features Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec for high-resolution audio streaming, with support for the LDAC codec, plus a fully customizable EQ that lets you tune the AONIC 50 how you want.
Shure Reveals Second-Gen AONIC 50 Wireless ANC Headphones
The first-generation Shure AONIC 50 was extremely well reviewed across the board, with many reviewers noting the clean and clear sound and comfortable earcups—giving Shure a good platform to build on for its first set of wireless ANC cans.
Now, the second generation Shure AONIC 50 is back with useful upgrades that pick up where the first left off.
Upgraded Hybrid ANC
One of the biggest upgrades comes to the AONIC 50 ANC, which now features a fully hybrid system with four different settings. The newest setting is MaxAware, a hybrid ANC setting that blends noise canceling with transparency, keeping you in touch with your surroundings.
Massive Boost to Battery Life
Another massive upgrade for the Shure AONIC 50 is battery life. The first generation AONIC 50 clocked around 20 hours of playback on a single charge, which is decent enough. The second-generation AONIC 50 now has up to 45 hours of playback, which is an enormous boost. While we’d have to test this to confirm Shure’s claims (and battery life is always dependent on volume, ANC, and other power drains), that’s a mighty improvement.
In addition to the extra battery life, the fast charge function is also improved. You can now grab up to five hours of playback on a rapid 15-minute charge, which is great when you’re running low and heading out the door.
New Snapdragon Sound and Spatial Audio
I’m also intrigued by the inclusion of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound. The AONIC 50 supports high-res audio streaming usingSony’s adaptive bitrate LDAC, along with aptX Adaptive.
Both LDAC and aptX Adaptive can be used with a wide range of devices (bar Apple) and offer handy adaptive bitrates, butSnapdragon Sound has to be used with a compatible device, i.e., a Snapdragon Sound-enabled streaming source, which requires at least a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and matching Snapdragon S3 or S5 chipset.
I’m not knocking the inclusion of Snapdragon Sound; it’s just quite niche and has limited overall appeal currently. Still, if all the tech is in the headphones, why not use it?
The inclusion of spatial audio is also an interesting upgrade that will catch the eyes and ears of potential users. Shure’s AONIC 50 spatial audio features three modes:
Having used various spatial audio modes, the Podcast mode intrigues me the most. Spatial audio processing can alter how the final product sounds and should be a good addition to the AONIC 50 headphones.
When Is the Shure AONIC 50 Second-Generation Launching?
While Shure revealed its upgraded second-generation AONIC 50 headphones at IFA 2023, they don’t have a specific launch date. Expect to see them on the shelves at some point in September 2023, with a launch price of £349 (we’re currently unsure about the USD launch price).
The AONIC 50 second-gen is launching in black, which looks sublime, but we’d also expect a brown and white version to appear soon after, similar to the first-gen.
